Beats being Dead
by WriterFreak001
Summary: This is a followup to the end of 1x22. :)


**WriterFreak001: **

It's been a while! I had been busy all weekend and then Monday came along! After watching the season finale, I couldn't NOT write a one-shot follow up! So, this is my version of what happens AFTER Paige kisses Walter. (which, by the way, was just so sweet and beautiful and awesome and every positive adjective you can think of) :)

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**Title** | Beats being Dead

**Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

**Description** | This is a follow-up to the season finale (*sniff*) of Scorpion. Waige style, of course.

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated K for fluff.

**POV** | Limited Third Person

**Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**Beats being Dead**

**Written by WriterFreak001**

**One-Shot**

**~ S****CORPION ~**

"_Thought for a moment today I'd seen you for the last time…" _

"_It really bothered me that if that had happened, our final memory together would've been… a fight." _

"_I'm really glad that wasn't the case." _

"_Because…." _

"_Because I really care about you, Walter…." _

…

Walter couldn't shake the dream he had of Paige kissing him from his mind; it was all he could think about ever since he woke up the next morning, finding the woman about whom he had dreamt sleeping with her cheek resting a few inches from his fingers. Her slow breaths soothed him as he watched her sleep; the air from her nose brushed against the tips of his fingers, bringing his thoughts back to the dream he had last night. The visual memory of his dream was total darkness, but he remembered hearing her voice in his dream and feeling her soft lips against his. He assumed the dream stemmed from his medication, but it almost felt too real to have only been a dream, and deep down, he secretly wanted it to be real.

Trying to survive a day without knowing whether or not he would ever see Paige and Ralph again had nearly killed him. He understood the odds of his survival, and despite the efforts of his team working to save him from almost-certain death, he only wanted to see Paige and tell her how much his life had changed since he had met her. He remembered every single detail of their first encounter, and for a woman who worked at a diner, she placed a lot of trust in him when he told her she had to reach for a cord eight feet underneath an airplane in order to save hundreds of people. Trust was hard to come by these days for Walter, but she had trusted him completely since day one. So that their argument wouldn't happen again, he made a mental note to talk to Ralph the next time he sees him. After everything that had happened to Walter, he understood Paige's concern for Ralph's safety and had he not been already emotional about Cabe's betrayal, he would have clearly seen the logic behind the woman's conviction. He, too, cared for Ralph's safety; he was flattered the boy wanted to be like him, but he never realized the words he had said to Ralph about being part of Scorpion would send him risking his life for the team.

As a result, both he and Paige had said some nasty things to each other two nights ago, and while he had meant everything he had said about her following Drew, he regretted them. Paige telling him she was leaving and taking Ralph away was his breaking point, but knowing the mother and son weren't leaving LA brought a smile to his lips. He could continue mentoring the boy, and Paige could continue translating the world to Walter. Walter knew he and Paige needed to discuss some new parameters in regards to Ralph's safety as well as talk about their argument, but those things could wait a while longer; he was just glad Paige and Ralph weren't leaving.

Scorpion would be back on track once he was feeling better, but he didn't mind taking his time to heal if it meant waking up and finding Paige so close to him. He watched her with fascination and the memory of his dream compelled him to gaze at her lips. Soft, pink lips; they were slightly parted with drool seeping into the sheets.

And, for unknown reasons, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her sleeping form. She was stunning, to say the least, and the fact that she never left his side told him he had to have some sort of significant role in her life. It was the only thing that made sense.

"_Because I really care about you, Walter." _

Before he could stop himself, a verbal response rolled off of his tongue, causing the woman to stir. Her long lashes fluttered open and caught him staring at her. Her cheeks flushed as a smile graced her lips. "You're awake."

"Yeah," he nodded as he elevated his bed so he could better see her. "The effects of the Morphine wore off."

"Are you in pain?" Paige's hand suddenly touched his. "Do you want me to get a nurse?"

"I'm fine," he forced a smile. In truth? He was in immeasurable pain, but he wanted to be conscious and aware of his surroundings; Morphine wouldn't allow him to sustain a conversation with Paige. "I'll live."

"A-Are you sure?" Paige rose to her feet and glanced at the door. "Perhaps I should grab a nurse anyway."

"Paige," he was desperate to keep her from leaving so he squeezed her hand. Her eyes immediately found his again. "I'll be fine for a while. Okay?"

"O-Okay." She obviously wasn't convinced, but she sat back down and leaned towards him with their hands still conjoined. "You gave me quite the scare yesterday."

"I know."

"No more reckless driving, Walter. Okay?" Paige's voice cracked as her fingers coiled around his. "No more."

"To be fair," Walter glanced at their hands and forced a painful chuckle, "I was driving just fine until a damn coyote crossed the road."

"I'm serious," Paige frowned. "Next time you might not be so lucky."

Walter's face fell. "Noted."

"And…,"

"And?"

"And I'm sorry…." Paige bit her lip and looked away from Walter.

"It wasn't your fault," he immediately said, flashbacking to the argument.

"But had I not said what I said, you wouldn't have been in that car in the first place." Paige's eyes were welling with tears.

"It wasn't your fault," he repeated himself. "I don't blame you so you shouldn't blame yourself either. Okay?"

"Okay…," she sighed. "But since we're on the topic," Paige pushed her hair back, "I want you to know that what I said to you the other night wasn't fair…. It was cruel of me to say those things about Ralph idolizing you…. I know I can't take back what I said, but if it's… any consolation to you…, I didn't mean them." She paused and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yes, I will always be concerned for Ralph's safety, and I was scared the other day – scared of losing my son. Ralph adores you, and I know you adore him. And I also know you would never intentionally do anything to jeopardize his safety, but… at the same time…, it scares me how much he wants to be like you, Walter." She inhaled a deep breath. "You put your life in danger for the greater good almost every day; I can't stomach watching my son put his life on the line as much as you do…. He's ten. He shouldn't have to bear that responsibility at such an early age. Wanting to be you, Walter," she smiled and caressed his face, "is not a bad thing at all…. I'm just not ready for him to be you _now_. Do you understand?"

Walter nodded. "Perfectly."

"Good." Paige withdrew her hand from his cheek and wiped more of her tears away. "Also," she squeezed his hand, "not only did I almost lose my son two days ago, but I almost lost you yesterday, too."

"But you didn't…," Walter muttered as she brought her hand back to his cheek.

"You're right. I didn't," a grin found her lips, "but the thought of almost losing you made me realize," she smirked, "how much my life would absolutely suck without having a Walter O'Brien around to bring a smile to my face."

Her words sent shivers down Walter's spine. To mask his strange feelings, he tried for a joke. "Th-That must mean Portland would have really sucked too."

"Yeah," she squeezed his hand and lightly brushed her fingers through his curly hair. "It would have."

Speaking of which…. "Does Drew know you're staying?"

"No," she shrugged. "I'll call him later and tell him; he's not going to like it, though."

"Maybe not," Walter may not like the man, but he _did _contribute to Ralph's creation so he was willing to put his dislike for Drew aside for Ralph's benefit. "But, if Drew is adamant about wanting to be a part of Ralph's life, he'll have no choice but to accept your terms and agree to your wishes."

Paige smiled. "You're absolutely right."

Walter grinned. "I almost always am."

"Don't push it."

"Right. Sorry."

Walter suddenly realized how close Paige was to him and gulped. Her lips were mere inches away from his, and her palm was still touching his cheek. Not to mention their fingers were also still entwined. "Walter?"

"Yeah?"

"Since… Ralph and I are staying," Paige's fingernails brushed against his cheek, "can you sometime pull him aside and clarify what it means for him to be a part of the team? I don't want a repeat of the Saran Gas incident."

Walter nodded, "Yeah. I can do that." He scanned the room and asked, "Speaking of Ralph, where is he?"

"I sent him home with Happy and Toby; I felt awful for almost tearing him away from the team so I thought some quality time with his favorite aunt and one of his favorite uncles would be good for him." Paige smiled and added, "Before he left, he even thanked me for not taking him away from you guys."

"Did he, now?" a smile found Walter's lips.

Paige laughed. "Yeah; and after everything that had happened yesterday, I realized I couldn't ever take him away from you guys – Scorpion means so much to him; it would be cruel to take him away from his family."

Walter didn't know why he said it, but… "We're your family too, Paige."

"I know," Paige grinned as a tear fell down her cheek. "I know." Their noses were barely touching when Walter noticed a nurse standing in the room with a smile on her face. He cleared his throat and signaled Paige to look over her shoulder. She quickly straightened her back and retracted her hand from his cheek but didn't remove her fingers from his. The nurse was quick and only checked a few things before briskly walking out of the room. "Coffee!" Paige suddenly exclaimed. "I'm going to go and get some coffee."

"Okay." Walter muttered; he didn't really want her to leave, but some distance placed between them would give him some time to think about his life involving Paige. She rose to her feet and squeezed his hand.

"I'll be back."

"Kay." Walter mumbled as Paige reclaimed her hand and made her way to the door.

She stopped midstride but didn't turn around. "Walter?"

"Yeah?"

She turned and flashed a smile at him. "I'm glad you didn't die."

"Me too." Walter slowly rose his hand and gave her a thumb's up. As she spun around, something compelled him to call out to her.

"What is it?" Paige was immediately at his side again. It was almost as though she didn't _want _to leave either.

He swallowed. It was now or never. Without a word, he reached for her hand and held it, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "Thanks," his lips curved to a small smile.

"For what?" she was leaning over him again, and her gaze was just as intense as his.

"For the obvious," was all Walter had the nerve to say as their fingers laced together.

Paige grinned. "You're welcome, Walter."

He glanced at their hands and then added, "I…," he remembered when Toby encouraged him to tell Paige how he feels…. Paige was certainly not yogurt, but Toby (never would Walter ever admit it) was right – she was definitely a necessary risk. "Um," he gulped, "The day we met in the diner…."

"What about it?" Paige's eyes lit up as she bit her bottom lip.

"Well," he slowly inhaled a breath of air and ignored the pain, "it was the best day of my life."

"Yeah?" Paige's palm found his cheek again, and she smiled.

"Yeah," he nodded; he couldn't help but freeze when he felt Paige's warm breath brush against his chin; it tickled his stubble.

"Walter?" Paige whispered his name as she strummed her thumb over his bottom lip. She brought her lips to his ear. "Guess what?" she sang.

"Hm?" Her voice so close to his ear did crazy things to him; he hardly remembered how to function.

She rose upward until she was centimeters away from his face. She grinned. "That was the best day of my life too." As she lowered her lips onto his and slowly kissed him, memories of his non-dream resurfaced, and he was now convinced Paige had actually kissed him while he was sleeping. There was no mistake in the way her lips felt against his. Soft and plump. She pulled away slightly and glanced into his eyes for a few seconds before bringing her mouth to his again for a more heated kiss.

"Oh, yeah," Paige chuckled against his lips, "This is _definitely_ better than Portland."

"And it sure beats being dead." Walter mumbled, attempting to be funny.

Paige laughed, "Good." She kissed him hard on the mouth. "I'm glad."

**~ SCORPION ~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Not much to say on this one other than I enjoyed writing it. :)


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